The Joy of Less: A Minimalist Guide to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify (By Francine Jay)

“Having less stuff is the key to happiness.”

This one line is the core ideology of minimalism.

The book is divided into four parts-

Philosophy.

The book starts with the basic principle, theory and positives of practising Minimalism. Here, Jay explains how having less stuff equals to less stress and more freedom.

2. Part Two- STREAMLINE

This part is the soul of the book. Jay has mentioned quite practical tips to explain how we can practically Declutter, Organize, and Simplify our stuff. STREAMLINE is a series of processes that help you to follow minimalism, and it stands for-

S- Start Over

“Let’s think back to the first day we moved into our house or apartment. We walked around the bare rooms, imagining what life would be like within its walls.” Now, do that again. Take out everything from your room/closet, and we will manage from level zero.

T- Trash/Treasure/Transfer

Categorize your belongings, whether they are trash or treasure.

R- Reason for each item

Make sure each item has a good reason for being part of your household. Remember, we use 20% of our stuff 80% of the times.

E- Everything in its place

A place for everything, and everything in its place. Memorize this mantra, repeat it often, sing it out loud, say it in your sleep—it’s one of the most important minimalist principles.

A- All surface clear

Surfaces are not for storage. People have been in houses where the floors are completely buried, save a narrow path to walk through the room. You can hardly move—let alone accomplish anything productive—in such an environment.

M- Modules

In creating our modules, we’re establishing a system that eliminates and discourages excess—making our possessions equivalent to our needs, and then literally putting a lid on them.

L- Limit

Remember: you are not what you own. Storing all those books doesn’t make you any smarter; it just makes your life more cluttered. Limit your collection to the allotted space, and cull it as you add new ones. Your library will be much more special, consisting of only your freshest and favourite titles.

I- If one comes in, one goes out

Every time a new item comes into your home, a similar item must leave.

N- Narrow it down

Reduce our possessions to the bare necessities.

E- Everyday Maintainance

To maintain our minimalist lifestyles, we can never really let our guard down; things can get out of control quickly if we let them.

3. Part Three- Room by Room

Putting the theoretical part two of this book, the author continued explaining how to declutter each and everything from our household, going room by room. Every useless thing, that we own, in our Bedrooms, Bathrooms, Kitchen, Dining room etc.

4. Part Four- Lifestyle

It’s the conclusion part, as to how throwing out extra/useless stuff and making more space in our workplace/house, we can achieve uncomparable peace and creativity potential.

My review-

This book is a short, quick and practical read on a unique concept- Minimalism.

It’s an easy read, and judging by the book summary written above, you can decide if you want to read it.